Female connector



' y 1943. w; P. HERMAN 2,318,485

FEMALE QONNECTOR Filed March 8, 1941 Z3 E15 EE E Patented May 4, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT orrica FEMALE CONNECTOR William P. Herman, Providence, R. 1.

Application March 8, 1941, Serial No. 382,418

Claims.

My present invention relates to the manufacture of a one-piece connector element, and has particular reference to a novel construction of female type connector and a novel method of assembly of the same.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a fiat-slotted female type connector in which the connector body is made of an integral, one-piece body of resilient material such as soft rubber.

It is an additional object of my invention to provide a female type connector in which the various parts of the connector are anchored together without the use of screws, bolts, or other outside anchoring means.

Another object of my invention is to provide a female connector in which the body is adapted to eliminate the danger of short-circuiting or arcing.

A further object of my invention is to provide a female connector which will withstand abuse without danger of short-circuiting or breaking of the connecion, and which will not break, shatter, or come apart.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction which will take up the strain on the body and cord lead connection in accordance with the requirements of the underwriters laboratory.

Another object of my invention is to provide a female connector which can be used with the standard type flat male terminals or with round pin terminals.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts and a novel method of manufacture and assembly, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a female connector embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same;

Fig. 3 is asection taken on line 3-3 on Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, the cord and blade assembly being removed;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the female conneotor;

Fig. 6 is a perspective viewof one of the blades;

Fig. '7 is a similar view of the blade and cord assembly;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view ofanother. form of blade; and

Fig. 9 is a similar view of the blade and cord assembly.

Certain types of electrical appliances are normally provided with spaced protruding blade terminals, and it is necessary to provide a cord lead tact plug attached to the appliance cord.

The female connector of the present invention is easy and economical to manufacture and assemble, it can be readily molded from resilient soft rubber so that it will not chip or break and will be pliable when used, and it can be made in one integral piece requiring no screws or clamping to hold together. The cord lead wire and contact blades are externally assembled and firmly held in place by predetermined, molded landings in the connector body.

Referring to the drawings illustrating my'invention, the female connector It comprises a body portion II which is preferably of resilient soft rubber in a one-piece, integral construction. The upper end of the body I l tapers towards a central cable opening l2 and the lower end terminates in a flat bottom i3 in which the slot entrances are located.

' The central cable opening I2 opens into an upper cable receiving chamber Id of generallyconical shape, the lower portion of the chamber being wider than the spacing of the slots. Extending upwardly into the center of the chamber I4 is an integral baflle l5 which divides the lower 1 portion of the chamber l4 and serves to dielectrically separate the ends of the blades and the bared ends of the cord lead connections, and thus prevent short-circuiting. The lower portion of, the chamber I4 is also reduced in thickness, as-

at It, on both sides of the bafile 15, as by, integral stepped portions l1 extending into the chamber [4. The portions I! are provided with vertical grooves IS in alignment with the vertical slots l9 and 20 and forming continuations thereof.

Slots I9 and 20 are vertically disposed and lower slot portion 23 communicating with the bottom [3. The upper ends of the intermediate slot portions 22 are provided with recesses 24 in the outer walls of the slots, see Figs. 2 and 3, each recess forming a transverse shoulder or landing 25. The lower ends of the intermediate slot portions 22 are provided with similar wall recesses 26, slightly shallower than the recesses 24, and providing shoulders or landings 21 in opposed relation to the landings 25. The lower restricted slot portions 23 are formed by slightly extending the slot walls toward each other, as at 28 and 29, for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

Referring to Figs. 2, 4, 6 and '7, each slot l9 and is provided with a contact blade 30, which is preferably of a type which can be anchored permanently within the connector body by the interlocking of the slots and blades. In the form of blade illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, each blade is stamped from sheet stock in a generally rectangular shape. The lower end of the blade is provided with an opening 3| for assembly purposes and is bent inwardly, as at 32. termediate portion of the blade is provided with an integral, struck-up lug or tang 33 extending laterally from the body of the blade on the same side as the bent end 32.

While the blade 30 is herein described and illustrated as being anchored in the plug body by the use of lugs or tangs extending laterally from its face, interlocking type of anchoring means shown in my Patent No, 2,191,384, issued February 20, 1940, may be utilized instead.

The upper end of the blade is designed to be effectively secured to an electrical conductor to provide a connection that will withstand strain and pulling without breaking. The upper end of the blade, therefore, comprises an intermediate slot 34 opening from one side of the blade and extending at a slight upward angle to approximately the center portion, and an upper slot extending in a similar manner from the opposite side of the blade.

In attaching the blade to a cord lead connection, the end of the wire is hand for a short distance, as at 35, and the end 36 is positioned in the upper slot 35 and firmly soldered therein. The cord is then reentrantly bent through the intermediate slot 34, as shown in Fig. 7. After the assembly of the blades and cord ends, one of the blades must be turned so that the tangs 33 will face in opposite directions. While any method of assembly may be used, I prefer to use the machine and method disclosed in my Patent No. 2,198,966, issued April 30, 1940. The central cable opening 12 is distended, and the blades 30 with the cord lead connections are pulled into the connector body H, so that the lower bent ends 32 enter the recesses 26 and abut the landings 2'1, and the lugs or tangs 33 will enter the recesses 24 and abut the landings 25. The upper ends of the blades with their cord lead connections will extend into the lower portion of the chamber ['4 and are separated by the dielectric The upper blade ends enter into the grooves 13 and the cord is tightly retained by the portions I1, so that twisting of the cord and blade in the chamber I4 is eliminated. Furthermore, the cooperation between the blade ends 32 and lugs or tangs 33 with the recesses 24 and 26 prevent the blades from pulling out of the connector body, and the reentrantly bent 'portions of the cord bearing on thebo'ttom of the.

The incord 38 without soldering.

chamber [4 prevent their being pulled through from the opposite end.

While the natural elasticity of the connector body may be used to retain the wires and blades in place, it is preferred that the parts be so formed that they will fit snugly without distorting the connector body, the blades being anchored by the tangs and cooperating landings.

The restricted slot portions 28 and 29 are designed to frictionally engage and exert a wiping action on the inserted terminals which prevent arcing.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the blade 3'! is adapted to be attached to the This is especially advantageous where tinsel cord is used because it is almost impossible to solder tinsel cord. The

' blade 31 is similar to the blade 30 except that the intermediate portion of the blade 31 is stamped out to provide a struck-up lug or tang 38 having a V-shaped cut-out and leaving an opening 39 with an integral depending tooth 40; the upper end of the blade being provided with two rows of lugs 4!. The cordv is passed through the opening 39 and impaled on the tooth 43, the bare end of the cord being While I have described a specific constructional embodiment of my invention and a specific method of assembly, thereof, it is obvious that these are merely illustrative, and that changes in the size and shape of the parts, in their relativearran-gement, and in the method of assembly may be made to suit requirements for different female connectors, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A female connector comprising a one-piece integral body of resilient material having an upper cable recess and two flat slots extendingv downwardly therefrom through the connector, said slots having restricted portions at each end thereof, and fiat contact blades mounted within said slots, the upper end of each blade having spaced transverse slots extending inwardly from opposite edges of said blade to provide a strai'n relief connection with a cordlead"w ire, said blades having integral interlocking portions co-- operating with the Walls of said slots for anchor ing said blades within said slots.

2. A female connector comprising a one-piece integral body of resilient material having an upper cable recess andtwo fiat slots extending downwardly therefrom through the connector, said slots having restricted portions at each end thereof, one wall of each slot having upper and lower recesses with shoulders, and flat oontact" blades mounted within said slots, the lowerjends of said blades being turned inwardly and 430- operating with the lower recesses of said slots and said blades having integral lugs cooperating with the upper recesses of said slots for anchoring said blades within said slots.

3. A female connector comprising a one-piece integral body of resilient material having an upper cable recess and two flat slots extending downwardly therefrom through the connector, said slots having restricted portions at each end thereof, said cable recess having a lower portion of narrow width for frictionally retaining the cord lead connection and grooves extending through the portion of narrow width in alignment with said slots, and fiat contact blades mounted within said slots, said blades having integral interlocking portions cooperating with the walls of said slots for anchoring said blades within said slots, the upper ends of said blades extending into the grooves in said cable recess.

4. A female connector comprising a one-piece integral body of resilient material having an upper cable recess and two flat slots extending downwardly therefrom through the connector, said slots having restricted portions at each end thereof, one wall of each slot having upper and lower recesses with shoulders, said cable recess having a lower portion of narrow width and grooves in alignment with said slots, and flat contact blades mounted within said slots, the

lower ends of said blades being turned inwardly and cooperating with the lower recesses of said slots and said blades having integral lugs cooperating with the upperrecesses of said slots for anchoring said blades within said slots, the upper ends of said blades extending into the grooves in said cable recess.

5. A female connector comprising a one-piece integral body of resilient material having an upper cable recess and two flat slots extending downwardly therefrom through the connector, said slots having restricted portions at each end thereof, said cable recess having a lower portion of narrow width for frictionally retaining the cord lead connection and grooves extending through the portion of narrow width in alignment with said slots, the upper end of each blade having spaced transverse slots extending inwardly from opposite edges of said blade to provicle a strain relief connection with a cord lead wire, and flat contact blades mounted Within said slots, said blades having integral interlocking portions cooperating with the walls of said slots for anchoring said blades within said slots, the upper ends of said blades extending into the grooves in said cable recess.

WILLIAM P. HERMAN. 

